Month: March 2013

Here’s a provocative thought: what if all of the capable and talented artists here in Sonoma County didn’t have to drive to San Francisco to get steady work? What a crazy notion, right? But what I’ve come to realize is that there is definitely a capable and talented pool of actors and performance artists, directors, producers, cinematographers, makeup artists and other crew here, and they all are burning giant gobs of gasoline driving south in order to work.

So, as VOM Productions recently joined the Go Local co-op in Sonoma County, it only seems fitting that we unveil the initiative that matters to all of us film and TV folks up here in Sonoma County: Film Local.

What does this mean? This means we as a community of film artists (of whatever stripe) start to transform our work and our priorities to move our work closer to Sonoma County and further from (dare I say) the city by the bay. I don’t expect that this will happen overnight; in fact, I have more than a little expectation that this is my “Jerry Maguire” moment.

All the same, I am sure that this is the way forward for me and my production company. Hire local talent and crew, post-production locally sourced, filming local by selecting film locations and settings within the county, and do all of it as much as possible, with the goal of 90% of my work being done within a 25 mile radius of my headquarters in Santa Rosa, and 99% being done within a 50 mile radius.

Do I think such a goal is easy? Heavens no, it’s tough starting a production company, period. But when I hear over and over how creative professionals and aspiring filmmakers complain about the film production desert that exists north of the Marin County/Sonoma County line, I get it and feel the same pain. And I think we can make it happen for us, without having to give up our principles or whore ourselves to the rest of the Bay Area in order to just barely make a living.

There has to be a better way. Seriously, there is a better way, we just have to come together to realize it.

Contact me if you want to be a part of this. We are talking a ground-floor opportunity to transform our creative community.